Rotary steam-engine.



F. L. WEED.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED mus 16. 1916.

Patented Oct. 24,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

F. L. WEED.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16. I916.

- Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

F. L. WEED.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- FRANK L. WEED, or EAsT BELFAST, MAIivE.

no'rAnv smart-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Application filed Jun'elG, 1916. S'eria11vo.104,034. I

To aZZwkom z'tmay concern: Y a

Be it known that I, FRANK L. WVEE'D, a citizen of the United States, residing at East Belfast, in the county of Valdo, State of Maine, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare the following to be av full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention is directed to improvements in rotary steam engines, and has for its object to construct a device of this character provided with an exceedingly simple and novel mechanism, whereby the piston of the engine can be reversed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of valve adapted to either act as an inlet or as an exhaust.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient mounting for the sliding abutment.

lVith these and other objects in view, this invention resides in the novel features of construction, formation, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the engine. Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the valve operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail. sectional view through the steam chamber, showing the piston in the position for receiving a charge of steam. Fig. 5 is a similar view, showing the piston in the act of raising the abutment. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 66 of Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through the valve casing. Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an end view of the engine. Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line 101O of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing 1 and 2 indicate the semi-circular sections, which are semicircular in cross section, and when bolted together at their adjacent ends provide an annular steam chamber 3. The lower section 2 is supported by a base 4, which may be bolted or otherwise secured to a foundation.

A hub 5 is provided and is fixed to the shaft (3, said hub having radiating therefrom spokes 7 to the outer ends of which are fixed in any suitable manner the rim 8, said rim having fixed thereto a piston 9,

said piston being semi-circular in cross sectlon so as to conform'to the contour of the steam chamber 3, said piston having its ends beveled, as at 10, whereby when the same is traveling ineither direction it will raise the sliding abutment 11 vertically, and against the action of the coil spring 1.2. The coil spring 12 is mounted in a tube 13, said tube being suitably supported on the section 1 by a bracket 4, as clearly shown. in Fig. 5 of the drawings.

It will be noted that the rim 8 has its edges beveled, as at 15, so as to slidably engage the similar edges of the sections 1 and 2. By beveling these edges it is obvious that a tight joint will be produced.

Cast to the section 1 is a valve casing 16, said valve casing having connected thereto a steam supply pipe 17, which leads from the boiler (not shown). The ends of the casing 16 are provided with stuffing boxes 18 for slidably supporting the stem 19, said stem having fixed thereto valves 20, which are in the nature of bands, and are adapted to alternately close the ports 21 and 22, said ports being in communication with the valve castings 23 in which are mounted valves 24. The valves 24 are each provided with passages 25 and 26, which communicate and arranged at right angles to each other. The castings 23 are in communication with the section 1 by the ports 27, said castings being also provided with exhaust pipes 28.

Fixed to the shaft 6 is an eccentric 29 which is engaged by the band 30, said band having fixed thereto one end of the rod 31, the other end of which is pivotally connected to the link 32 which is pivotally connected to the bracket 33, said bracket be ing supported by the section 1. 7 end of the link 32 is provided with a socket 34 which is engaged by the ball 35 carried by the adjacent end of the stem 19. Thus it will be seen that as the eccentric 29' rotates that the link 32 will be oscillated thereby reciprocating the stem 19 so as to actuate the valves 20 to alternately close the ports 21 and 22.

The valves 24 are provided with stems 36 which have fixed to their lower ends hand wheels 37, whereby the stems can be rotated to actuate the valves.

As shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings the port 21 is open so that steam may pass from the casing 16 through the passage 25 of the valve and into the chamber 3, and at which The upper.

time the piston 9 and abutment 11 are the position shown in Fig. 4 "of 'the'arawing. The steam when expanding between the abutment and piston will cause tli'e latter tofltravel in the chamber 3, and the port 21 will remain seen until the piston nearly reaches the position aswshown in Fig. 5 of the drawing, after which the used steam willexhaus'tthrou'gh the pipe 28, which is in registry withthepassage 25.. of theval'v'e associated with the port 22. Whenit, is desired to reverse the travel of the piston it is only necessary to operate the valve associated with the port21 so as to serve as an exhaust valve, and at which time the-other valve 24: is rotated so that its passage 25 will register with the port 22.

The shaft 6, has fixedthereto a conventional form of fly wheel38.

VVhatI claim 'is:

In a rotary steam engine, a pair'of sections semi circul'ar in cross section andhaving their edges beveled, said sections hav- 'ingth'eir adjacent ends connected to provide a'con'tinu'dus annular steam chamber, a shaft, a hub fixed to the shaft, and having spokes radiating*therefrom, a rim supported by the in the presence of two witnesses.

v FRANK L. WEED.

Witnesses: v

PERGY L. CUNNINGHAM, EDWARD RoBrNsoN.

"Copies of t liil pa tent hey be'ohtaine d forjlje'jccntl e z ic hffi'y ma-sire the ""bo'miaiiiioner or menu Waishington, D. G. 

